The NASCAR season is one of the most grueling and demanding professional sports. With 36 points-paying races spread over a 10-month it has everything but no rest. From the high-speed action to the relentless travel between venues, the sport demands peak performance from teams and drivers nearly every week. However, there is a short off-season break between the final race and the Daytona 500.

Unlike other sports, where months of downtime allow for extended rest and recovery, NASCAR teams face a tight schedule to prepare for the next season. While drivers may use this time to recharge and spend time away from the track, the question arises: what happens behind the scenes? Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) president Dave Alpern offered candid insight into the relentless pace of their offseason activities.

Dave Alpern shares key off-season details

Joe Gibbs Racing is among the top teams in NASCAR. They have been a dominant force in the last few years. The reason behind their consistent performance lies in their relentless work. According to team president Dave Alpern, JGR continues to prepare for next season in this short period. He also claims that NASCAR has the shortest off-season break compared to other professional sports.

“Our offseason is the shortest in all of pro sports. I often get people that ask me, hey, the season’s over, what are you doing? And that’s a good question. Well, what we’re not doing is travelling to the racetrack on the weekends, but otherwise, it’s not too much different during the week in the shop,” says Alpern in a video shared by JGR.

While acknowledging the rush of the short off-season, Alpern explained how things work behind the scenes. He also revealed that everyone at their shop works relentlessly to prepare for the upcoming season. This time also helps them reorganize their shop, which stays a happening place for 10 months.

“If you’re in the front office, you’re working hard on things for next year. Sponsorship, renewals, car designs, and working with our partners to prepare for next season. If you’re downstairs, you might be starting to organize and clean. This is the time of year that our shop sometimes gets a facelift, whether it’s resurfacing floors or painting, but everyone around the shop is either prepping for next year, cleaning up from last year or planning for the upcoming season,” Alpern added.

These sponsorships are a crucial part of running the team. Without their financial support, running a NASCAR team would be very difficult. For Joe Gibbs Racing particularly, it will be crucial, since they lost a FedEx sponsorship. Kroger as well chose to go with Brad Keselowski’s RFK Racing. Perhaps there is something big in the works within the team in terms of announcing a new sponsor.

However, the ongoing NASCAR off-season is very different for Joe Gibbs Racing. Apart from revisiting strategies, analyzing data, and introducing updates to equipment or facilities, they will have an overhaul in team structure. The changes in the driver lineup, sponsors and crew will lead to a complete overhaul.

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JGR plans a massive overhaul for the 2025 season

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season brought its share of successes and challenges for JGR. Out of their four charters, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell registered multiple victories while Martin Truex Jr and Ty Gibbs had some struggles. The team finished with six wins and 40 top-five finishes across the charters. Despite these mixed results JGR plans for a lot of changes in the 2025 season.

One of the most notable changes involves the driver lineup. SHR driver Chase Briscoe will replace Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 19 Toyota. Briscoe has already established himself as one of the most promising drivers in the grid. However, he will be having a lot of pressure, especially to replace a veteran like Truex Jr. However, Briscoe acknowledges the weight of expectations. Earlier this year he had said, “I love the pressure side, but I do think this is probably the most pressure I’ve ever been under in my life, professionally… At JGR, you have to perform. There’s no excuses.”

In addition to driver changes, JGR has restructured its leadership and crew dynamics. Denny Hamlin’s long-standing crew chief Chris Gabehart has been promoted by the team. He will step into the position of competition director. Ty Gibbs’s crew chief Chris Gayle will now partner with Hamlin while Tyler Allen will join Gibbs.

With such a massive change in team structure and driver line-up, JGR will hope to produce some memorable performances in the 2025 season. While the majority of hopes will lie in drivers like Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs team will also want Chase Briscoe to see the checkered flag.